THE ISSUE: The slaughter at the Fort Hood Army base that left dozens dead or injured.

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There is absolutely no excuse for the shootings at Fort Hood, and both the shooter and the Army are to blame (” ‘Jihad’ Eyed in Ft. Hood Slays,” (Nov. 6).

If political or religious beliefs prevented Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan from carrying out his duties, he should have resigned.

It was the duty of colleagues and immediate superiors to get this individual out of the military.

Paul H. Taylor

San Francisco

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I already have contempt for the snakes who will crawl out of the grass and out from under slimy rocks to defend whoever is guilty of the massacre at Fort Hood.

James J. Ring

Ossining

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In the aftermath of the Fort Hood massacre, many individuals who should know better are describing the incident as a tragedy.

“Tragedy” would properly describe a hurricane, a flood, the unforeseen collapse of a building and other such acts of God. This mass murder was an atrocity, a stark manifestation of evil perpetrated by a man who, laughably, would purport to be religious.

Oren M. Spiegler

Upper Saint Clair, Pa.

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Fingers are pointing to every possible culprit — Hasan’s faith, harassment or post-traumatic stress disorder. Whatever the motive, we as a society must help alleviate the situation.

Dubbed “fragging,” attacks on fellow soldiers are shocking, as the military is an extension of the soldier’s family. Fraggings, while on the decline following Vietnam, have increased in recent years, crossing ethnic, religious and cultural lines.

To the victims and their families, we grieve with you and are here for you.

Sardar Anees Ahmad

Waterloo

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After a tragic shooting at Camp Victory in Iraq last May, President Obama promised that he would do everything to ensure that the military was protected.

What failed? And why did an Army psychiatrist, who was entrusted with evaluating a soldier’s readiness to deploy, fall through the loop himself, thereby allowing him to murder the very men and women who volunteered to keep our nation safe?